Hand strap for electronic apparatus

ABSTRACT

A hand strap for an electronic apparatus is provided with a first gripper, which is attached to a rear surface of an electronic apparatus in a removable manner, and a second gripper. The first gripper has a main body and an accommodation portion. The second gripper includes a fixed portion and an extra-long portion, one end of which is a free end. The extra-long portion is accommodated inside the accommodation portion, and can adjust the entire length of the second gripper. A finger accommodation space in which a finger other than a thumb is disposed between the first gripper and the second gripper, is defined. By gripping the first gripper with the pad and the tip end of a finger other than a thumb, it is possible to perform operation with a thumb over a wide area of a touch panel while holding an electronic apparatus with one hand.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/398,078, filed on Jan. 4, 2017, which in turn claims thebenefit of Japanese Application No. 2016-030391, filed on Feb. 19, 2016,the entire disclosures of which Applications are incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a hand strap for an electronicapparatus that is attached to an electronic apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Straps and hand belts with which an electronic apparatus is held withone hand are known (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No.2011-130887, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2006-307918, andJapanese Registered Utility Model No. 3135779).

Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2011-130887 discloses a strapattachment structure in which attachment of a hand strap is completedwith a single attachment action using a metal attachment and a looselyfitting portion of a handheld terminal. Japanese Patent UnexaminedPublication No. 2006-307918 discloses a mobile terminal that is providedwith a hand belt in which dropping of the mobile terminal is preventedas a result of a tongue portion of the hand belt being attached to thehand belt using Velcro (registered trademark). Japanese RegisteredUtility Model No. 3135779 discloses a strap for a mobile phone handsetin which one-handed holding of a mobile phone handset is made easy as aresult of the strap for a mobile phone handset, which is stretchable,being attached to a lower portion of the mobile phone.

SUMMARY

In recent years, the demand for making operation with one hand possiblehas increased in electronic apparatuses for professional use inparticular. In addition, in step with the increase in size of electronicapparatuses and the introduction of touch panels, it is necessary tomake operation of a touch panel with a thumb possible while holding alarge casing with one hand. However, in the straps and hand beltsdisclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2011-130887,Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2006-307918, and JapaneseRegistered Utility Model No. 3135779, holding with one hand is possiblein some manner, but there is a technical problem in that it is difficultto reach a thumb across the wide area of an enlarged touch panel.

The object of the present disclosure is to provide a hand strap for anelectronic apparatus in which operation of a touch panel while holdingwith one hand is easy.

A hand strap for an electronic apparatus of the present disclosure isprovided with a first gripper, which can be attached to a rear surfaceof an electronic apparatus, and is gripped by a pad of a finger otherthan a thumb, and a tip end of a finger other than a thumb, and a secondgripper that is provided on a far side from the rear surface withrespect to the first gripper, and that defines a finger accommodationspace in which a finger other than a thumb is disposed in the spacebetween the first gripper and the second gripper.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a handstrap for an electronic apparatus in which holding of an electronicapparatus using one hand is stable, and in which it is possible for thethumb of the one hand performing the holding to move across a wide areaof a touch panel of the electronic apparatus and screen operationbecomes easy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hand strap for an electronicapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the hand strap for an electronic apparatus ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the hand strap for an electronic apparatus ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view that shows an example of anelectronic apparatus to which the hand strap for an electronic apparatusaccording to the present disclosure is attached.

FIG. 5A is an explanatory view that shows a rear surface of anelectronic apparatus to which the hand strap for an electronic apparatusaccording to the present disclosure is not attached.

FIG. 5B is an explanatory view that shows a front surface of anelectronic apparatus to which the hand strap for an electronic apparatusaccording to the present disclosure is not attached.

FIG. 6A is an explanatory view that shows a rear surface of anelectronic apparatus to which the hand strap for an electronic apparatusaccording to the present disclosure is attached.

FIG. 6B is an explanatory view that shows a front surface of anelectronic apparatus to which the hand strap for an electronic apparatusaccording to the present disclosure is attached.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view that shows a state in which acharging adapter according to the present disclosure is installed in theelectronic apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view that describes the state inwhich the charging adapter according to the present disclosure isinstalled in the electronic apparatus.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view of a stand that can accommodatethe charging adapter according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a state in which a chargingadapter according to the present disclosure is accommodated in the standin a state of being installed on an electronic apparatus.

FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of the stand in a state in whichthe charging adapter according to the present disclosure isaccommodated.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view that describes a state inwhich the charging adapter according to the present disclosure isaccommodated in the stand in a state of being installed on an electronicapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as “the presentembodiment”) in which a hand strap for an electronic apparatus and acharging adapter according to the present disclosure are specificallydisclosed, will be described in detail while referring to the drawingsas appropriate. However, there are cases in which unnecessary detaileddescription is omitted. For example, there are cases in which thedetailed descriptions of previously well-known features and overlappingdescriptions of substantially the same configurations are omitted. Thereasons for this are to avoid unnecessary redundancy, and to facilitatethe understanding of persons skilled in the art. Additionally, theappended drawings and the following description are provided in orderfor a person skilled in the art to sufficiently understand the presentdisclosure, and are not intended to limit the priority that is disclosedin the claims

Hereinafter, the preferred present embodiment for implementing thepresent disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a hand strap for an electronicapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2is a side view, FIG. 3 is a front view, and an example of a hand strapfor an electronic apparatus will be explained in detail using FIGS. 1 to3.

Hand strap for electronic apparatus 1 is formed from leather, or thelike, and is attached to rear surface 101 of electronic apparatus 100 ina removable manner in a substantially oblong form. Hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 is provided with substantially flat form firstgripper 10, and band form second gripper 20 that is bendable. Firstgripper 10 has a substantially oblong form when viewed in a planarmanner in the present embodiment, but may have an elliptical form, orthe like, and is not particularly limited.

First gripper 10 is provided with main body 11 that is disposed in alongitudinal direction of rear surface 101 of electronic apparatus 100,first side surface 12 and second side surface 13 which are provided onboth sides of a substantial central portion of main body 11, andprotrude toward rear surface 101 side. In addition, first gripper 10 isprovided with accommodation portion 15 that forms a substantial boxshape which is defined by main body 11, first side surface 12, andsecond side surface 13, an inner portion of which has a hollow cavityform, and in which opening 14 is formed at one end. In addition, slit 16is formed in the vicinity of opening 14 of main body 11 in a directionthat is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and folded-backportion 17, which is folded back in a U-shape, is provided at a tip endportion of main body 11. Accommodation portion 15 may be a groove form,or may be a form in which rear surface 101 side of electronic apparatus100 is open.

In the present embodiment, in first gripper 10, it is possible to attachfolded-back portion 17 of main body 11 and end 18, which is on theopposite side to folded-back portion 17, to rear surface 101 ofelectronic apparatus 100 as a result of cords 2, or the like, forexample, being attached to strap holes 100 a, which are provided inelectronic apparatus 100. In addition, in the present embodiment, thebottom surface of first gripper 10 is in a state of being separated fromrear surface 101 of electronic apparatus 100, but may come into contactwith rear surface 101.

Second gripper 20 includes fixed portion 21 in which one end of secondgripper 20 is fixed to the upper portion of main body 11 of firstgripper 10, and extra-long portion 22 in which the other end acts as afree end. Second gripper 20 extends in a band form in end 18 directionof main body 11 from fixed portion 21, is bent in a substantial U-shapeas a result of passing through metal attachment fitting 30 that has asubstantially square-shaped cross-section and is fixed to end 18, andfurthermore, is disposed in a band form toward folded-back portion 17 ofmain body 11. In addition, extra-long portion 22 is accommodated insideaccommodation portion 15 as a result of penetrating through slit 16 ofmain body 11 and passing through opening 14. Pen holder 3, or the like,is provided on a side surface of second gripper 20.

It is possible to adjust the entire length of second gripper 20 bychanging an accommodation ratio of extra-long portion 22 inaccommodation portion 15. Finger accommodation space 40 is definedbetween the upper portion of main body 11 of first gripper 10 and bottomportion 23 of second gripper 20, a finger other than a thumb is disposedand it is possible to freely change an opening degree of fingeraccommodation space 40 that matches the size of a finger by adjustingextra-long portion 22.

It is necessary for first gripper 10 to have predetermined thickness D(refer to FIG. 2) in order to grip first gripper 10 using the pad (theplace where the fingerprint is) and the tip end (the finger tip) of afinger other than a thumb on first side surface 12 or second sidesurface 13 of first gripper 10. For example, it is desirable thatthickness D is at least 5 mm or more, and as long as it is 5 mm or more,it is possible to reliably grip with a pad and a tip end of a fingerother than a thumb. In addition, a certain degree of strength isnecessary in first gripper 10, first gripper 10 is formed using a hardmaterial (for example, having a thickness in which between one andseveral sheets of thick paper are coated with leather), and a resin, ametal, or the like may be used.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view that shows an example of anelectronic apparatus. An example of an electronic apparatus to which thehand strap for an electronic apparatus of the present embodiment isattached will be described using FIG. 4.

For example, electronic apparatus 100 is a mobile phone such as asmartphone, a tablet, a portable measurement instrument, a portableinformation device, a mobile communication terminal, or the like. In thepresent embodiment, a mobile communication type portable terminal devicethat is provided with shock resistance, vibration resistance, dripproofing, dust proofing, or the like, is used at commercial sites suchas factories, construction sites, public safety sites, carrier sites,and the like, and is heavier than a general mobile phone, is used as anexample. Electronic apparatus 100 is formed from casing 102 that has asubstantially rectangular parallelepiped form, and has a substantiallyoblong form when viewed in a planar manner.

Display 104, press operator 105, speaker 106, camera 107, and the like,are disposed on front surface 103 of electronic apparatus 100. Display104 is provided with touch panel 108 having a substantially rectangularshape when viewed in a planar manner, is formed from a liquid crystalpanel, an organic EL panel, or the like, displays icons, images,information data, and the like, and has a display function of a userinterface (UI) of which operation is possible. In addition, side switch109, and guide 110, which is used during installation in a chargingplatform (a charging adapter), or the like, are also provided on a sidesurface of electronic apparatus 100. As a result of convex portions,which are provided in a charging platform, or the like, being guidedinside grooves 111 of guide 110, which are provided in guide 110 in thelower portions of both side surfaces of electronic apparatus 100, whenelectronic apparatus 100 is installed in a charging platform, it ispossible to perform easy installation due to smooth positioning. Inaddition, concave portions 112 are provided on the bottom surface ofgrooves 111, which are both side surfaces.

Connector 120 is provided on the bottom surface of electronic apparatus100, and at least the two types of connector of connector for electricalsignals 121 and connector for charging 122 are provided in connector120. By connecting to connector 120, it is possible to performcommunication such as data communication while charging.

In order to show the features of hand strap for electronic apparatus 1of the present disclosure, the inconvenience of a case in which there isno hand strap for electronic apparatus 1 will be described using FIGS.5A and 5B. On the other hand, the ease of operation while holdingelectronic apparatus 100 that is provided with hand strap for electronicapparatus 1 of the present embodiment, with one hand will be describedusing FIGS. 6A and 6B.

In a case of operating electronic apparatus 100 with one hand, the palmof the hand is generally caused to abut against rear surface 101 ofelectronic apparatus 100, casing 102 side surfaces of electronicapparatus 100 are pressed by the fingertips other than the thumb (referto FIG. 5A), and scrolling, tapping, or the like, is performed whilebringing the front surface of the thumb into contact with touch panel108 (refer to FIG. 5B). However, recent electronic apparatuses 100 areenlarged, and, in addition, industrial electronic apparatuses 100 areenlarged and slightly heavy, holding of electronic apparatuses 100 ofthe related art is unstable depending on the hand, and it is difficultto adequately reach the tip end of a thumb across the wide area of touchpanel 108.

In electronic apparatus 100 to which hand strap for electronic apparatus1 of the present disclosure is attached, fingers other than the thumbpass through finger accommodation space 40, in which the fingers otherthan the thumb are disposed, on rear surface 101 side, and the pads andtip ends of finger other than the thumb are caused to abut against firstside surface 12 or second side surface 13 of first gripper 10 (refer toFIG. 6A). It is possible to grip first gripper 10 and electronicapparatus 100 using the fingers and the palm of the hand, electronicapparatus 100 is stable inside the hand, the thumb reaches across thewide area of touch panel 108 (refer to FIG. 6B), and it is possible toeasily perform operation of touch panel 108.

That is, in comparison with the case in which there is no hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1, which is shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, since thethumb sticks out greatly on the opposite side to the base side of thethumb, it is easy for a thumb operation to reach throughout the widearea of touch panel 108. In addition, electronic apparatus 100 is heldand stabilized with all of the fingers other than the thumb as a resultof the back of the hand being supported in finger accommodation space 40due to first gripper 10 and second gripper 20.

In the present embodiment, first gripper 10 is disposed on rear surface101 of electronic apparatus 100 in a substantial central portion withrespect to both side surfaces that are orthogonal to the longitudinaldirection of electronic apparatus 100, and therefore, compatibility withboth right-handers and left-handers is possible. Furthermore, it ispossible to cause the vicinities of the bases of the fingers to abutagainst the side surfaces of casing 102 of electronic apparatus 100,there is space for movement of the thumb with respect to touch panel108, and therefore, it is also possible to stably perform operation ofside switch 109, which is on the side surface of electronic apparatus100.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with firstgripper 10, which can be attached to rear surface 101 of electronicapparatus 100, and is gripped by the pad of a finger other than a thumb,and a tip end of a finger other than a thumb, and second gripper 20 thatis provided on a far side from rear surface 101 with respect to firstgripper 10, and that defines finger accommodation space 40 in which afinger other than a thumb is disposed in the space between first gripper10 and second gripper 20.

As a result of this, since holding of electronic apparatus 100 using onehand is stable, it is possible for the thumb of the one hand performingthe holding to move across a wide area of touch panel 108.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, in hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, second gripper 20includes extra-long portion 22 that can adjust the entire length ofsecond gripper 20. As a result of this, using extra-long portion 22, itis possible to handle differences in the size and thickness of hands. Inaddition, since it is possible to allow for some leeway in fingeraccommodation space 40, it is easy to move the hand in an up-downdirection while performing holding, and therefore, for example,operation of side switch 109 with the thumb is also easy.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, in hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, first gripper 10includes accommodation portion 15 that can accommodate extra-longportion 22. As a result of this, using accommodation portion 15, it ispossible to prevent a circumstance in which extra-long portion 22obstructs operation or camera shooting.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, in hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, first gripper 10 has asubstantially oblong form in a planner manner. As a result of this,compatibility with the shape of electronic apparatus 100 is possible.

According to the above-mentioned configuration, in hand strap forelectronic apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, thickness D of firstgripper 10 is 5 mm or more. As a result of this, due to having thepredetermined thickness D, it is possible for the pads and the tip endsof fingers other than the thumb to hold onto first gripper 10 andtherefore, it is possible to extend the thumb greatly over front surface103 of electronic apparatus 100 while gripping electronic apparatus 100with these fingers.

Next, charging adapter 200 of electronic apparatus 100 will be describedusing the drawings. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view of a state inwhich a charging adapter according to the present disclosure isinstalled in an electronic apparatus, FIG. 8 is a schematiccross-sectional view that describes the state in which the chargingadapter according to the present disclosure is installed in theelectronic apparatus, and an example of the charging adapter will beexplained in detail using FIGS. 7 and 8.

In FIG. 7, charging adapter 200 can be installed in a manner that coversthe lower portion of electronic apparatus 100 including press operator105 and guide 110, and is provided with hooks 210 on both side surfacesof charging adapter 200. A power source plug is provided on the backsurface of charging adapter 200, and power source cable 202 is connectedto a power source plug. Press operator 201 of charging adapter 200 isprovided with a plunger on the back surface thereof, and the plunger isexposed from the inner wall of charging adapter 200. The plunger isprovided in a position that faces press operator 105 of electronicapparatus 100 when electronic apparatus 100 is installed in chargingadapter 200. When press operator 201 of charging adapter 200 is pressed,since press operator 105 of electronic apparatus 100 is pressed by aplunger, it is possible to perform operation in a state in whichelectronic apparatus 100 is installed in charging adapter 200.

In FIG. 8, hook 210 is provided with upper portion 211, lower portion212, and shaft portion 213 in the center of hook 210, and forms a seesawstructure with shaft portion 213 as the center. First locker 214 isprovided on a tip end inner side of upper portion 211, and second locker215 is provided on a tip end outer side of lower portion 212. In hook210, a load, with which first locker 214 is biased toward the inner wallside of charging adapter 200 is always applied, and first locker 214 isexposed from the inner wall of charging adapter 200. When electronicapparatus 100 is installed in charging adapter 200, first locker 214locks together with concave portions 112 of electronic apparatus 100.When a user pushes lower portion 212 in a direction of the inner wallside of charging adapter 200, as a result of the seesaw structure withshaft portion 213 as the center, a locking state is released due tofirst locker 214 becoming separated from concave portions 112 ofelectronic apparatus 100.

Charging pins 220 are provided on the bottom surface of the inner wallof charging adapter 200, and are connected to the power source plug,which is provided on the back surface of charging adapter 200. Chargingpins 220 are provided in positions that face connector for charging 122of electronic apparatus 100 when electronic apparatus 100 is installedin charging adapter 200, and come into contact with connector forcharging 122. Pins are not provided in a position that faces connectorfor electrical signals 121 of electronic apparatus 100. According tothis configuration, even if both connector for electrical signals 121and connector for charging 122 are provided in connector 120 ofelectronic apparatus 100, it is possible to use connector 120 in a usethat is specialized for charging as a result of a user using chargingadapter 200.

Next, a state in which charging adapter 200 is installed in stand 300will be described using the drawings. FIG. 9 is an external perspectiveview of stand 300 that can accommodate charging adapter 200 according tothe present disclosure, FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of astate in which charging adapter 200 according to the present disclosureis accommodated in stand 300 in a state of being installed on anelectronic apparatus, FIG. 11 is an external perspective view of stand300 in a state in which charging adapter 200 according to the presentdisclosure is accommodated, FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional viewthat describes a state in which charging adapter 200 according to thepresent disclosure is accommodated in stand 300 in a state of beinginstalled on an electronic apparatus, and an example of stand 300 willbe explained in detail using FIGS. 9 to 12.

In FIGS. 9 to 11, stand 300 is configured so that charging adapter 200can be installed therein, and is provided with notched portion 320 onthe front surface of stand 300. When charging adapter 200 and electronicapparatus 100 are installed in stand 300, since press operator 201 ofcharging adapter 200 is exposed by notched portion 320, it is possibleto perform operation in a state of being installed in stand 300. Inaddition, since notched portion 330 is also provided on the back surfaceof stand 300, installation in stand 300 is possible in a state in whichpower source cable 202 is linked to the power source plug of chargingadapter 200.

In FIG. 12, projections 310 are provided on the inner walls of stand300. Projections 310 are respectively provided in positions that facethe lower portion 212 of hook 210 when charging adapter 200 is installedin stand 300. Since projections 310 continuously press lower portion 212during installation of the charging adapter, first locker 214 of hook210 is in a direction that spreads toward the outer side. Therefore,even if electronic apparatus 100 is installed in charging adapter 200,which is installed in stand 300, since first locker 214 is in adirection that spreads toward the outer side, electronic apparatus 100is not locked together with charging adapter 200. Accordingly, since itis not necessary to release locking using hook 210 each time electronicapparatus 100 is removed, it is possible to perform removal ofelectronic apparatus 100 smoothly. As a result of the second locker 215of charging adapter 200 being locked together with projections 310 ofstand 300 when charging adapter 200 is installed in stand 300, it ispossible to prevent a circumstance in which charging adapter 200 comesloose when electronic apparatus 100 is disengaged.

Accordingly, since it is possible for a user to perform use in a statein which charging adapter 200 is installed on electronic apparatus 100,and to use stand 300 as a charging platform by installing the chargingadapter in stand 300, it is possible to use the charging adapter fordifferent purposes depending on a use environment of a user.

An embodiment of a hand strap for an electronic apparatus and a chargingadapter according to the present disclosure has been described withreference to the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited tothe corresponding examples. It is clear to persons skilled in the artthat various altered examples, corrected example, substituted examples,addition examples, deletion examples, and equivalent examples could beconceived of within the range that is set forth in the claims, and it isunderstood that such examples naturally belong to the technical scope ofthe present disclosure.

The hand strap for an electronic apparatus of the present disclosure isuseful in an application of performing operation while holding a heavy,large type, and industrial electronic apparatus with one hand.

What is claimed is:
 1. A charging adapter comprising: a hook which formsa seesaw structure having a first locker and a second locker at bothends , and a charging pin on an inner wall of the charging adapter;wherein when the charging adapter is installed in an electronicapparatus, the first locker locks into a concave portion of theelectronic apparatus, and when the charging adapter is installed in astand, a projection provided on the stand locks into the second lockerand the projection continues to press the second locker, whereby thefirst locker is released.
 2. A stand for installing a charging adaptercapable of being installed in an electronic apparatus by a hook forminga seesaw structure on an inner wall of the stand, the stand comprising:a projection provided on the inner wall; wherein when the chargingadapter is installed in the stand, the projection presses the hook in adirection in which a first locker provided on one end of the hook isreleased from a state where the first locker locks into a concaveportion of the electronic apparatus, and the projection locks into asecond locker provided on the other end of the hook.